Oh For Heaven's Sake!
by Jojo-In-The-Shadows
Summary: Patsy and Delia help their friends in preparation for their first date. Gentleman Jack/Call The Midwife crossover.


Finally they'd got in a decent scotch, thought Patsy, sticking her nose in the glass and taking a good sniff. She'd been hassling the bar staff about it since her first visit to Gateways over 6 months ago, and as she'd arrived this evening Gina had plonked the bottle down in front of her.

"Good enough for you?"

Of course the proprietress was charging an arm and a leg for it but it was absolutely worth it.

A short top hat and a bouquet of flowers were slapped down on the bar next to her.

"Oh for heaven's sake Lister!"

She turned and confirmed her suspicions. Her friend was dressed up extremely smartly. Too smartly for tonight's endeavours. She raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" snapped Anne Lister as she removed her gloves.

"You look like a damned undertaker, that's what. Honestly you'll have stood out like a sore thumb all the way here!"

"Since when have I given a toss what others think of the way I dress?" She nodded to Gina, who poured her a measure of the new expensive scotch.

"Well you clearly give a toss what someone thinks to be dressed up to the nines in this place."

Patsy sipped her drink while her old friend sneered at her.

Anne took a considered sip of her own drink, her middle finger rubbing absently against the glass. "Do you really think it's too much?"

Patsy saw the nervous glance and sighed, placing her glass down. She removed the broach from the other woman's cravat, then unwound the cravat and placed both items in Anne's jacket pocket, before peeling that garment off her and laying it over the stool.

"When are you going to stop wearing all black Freddie? This waistcoat would look lovely in blue. Or maybe green." She undid the buttons of the waistcoat, leaving it to hang open.

"When women stop passing me over for men," Anne sniffed.

The redhead hoped her former school chum could read the sympathy in her gaze while she rolled up her shirt sleeves. Not that the tall brunette would ever acknowledge it. "I suppose I should be grateful you've stopped wearing those silly hair rolls, it's far easier to take you seriously with just the bun."

"Everyone was wearing victory rolls at school, I just wanted my own style," Anne stated disinterestedly.

"Yes, well." Patsy popped the top two buttons of Anne's shirt and stood back to assess her work. "That's much better. A bit more bohemian than your usual but much less intimidating."

"Intimidating has it's uses." The stoic woman knocked back her scotch.

"Oh Freddie," the redhead perched on a bar stool. "I don't think I've seen you this flustered by a girl before."

"I'm not flustered!" retorted Anne, flashing two fingers at Gina for a refill.

"Of course you're not." Patsy nodded her thanks to Gina as she deposited two fresh measures into their glasses. "Look, I know you want to settle down before you become a houseman next year, but please just relax. Tonight is supposed to be fun. No marriage proposals."

Anne saluted. "Yes Ma'am."

She received a slap to the shoulder for it, but Patsy was glad to see an amused smile at last.

They sipped their drinks and watched the other occupants of the club. It was still early, so there were only a few couples around, some groups of friends sat around tables, women free to enjoy the company of other women.

But Anne kept glancing behind her. "The flowers are too much aren't they."

Patsy turned to consider the bouquet. "They're a little extravagant. But we can do something about that." She leant over the bar. "Gina? May I borrow some scissors?"

Checking her watch for the tenth time, Delia tapped her toe impatiently on the curb. She was grateful the weather was mild, but she wasn't quite comfortable standing alone on the pavement in this dress, even with a coat. It was her newest purchase, and her most daring outfit ever. Silver sequins adorned the tailored cotton sheath, with capped sleeves, and a hemline just above her knees. She hoped her girlfriend would like it. Her high ponytail whipped through the air as the welshwoman turned to glare at the door to the nurses homes. She'd waited long enough, so she stormed back inside.

She rapped smartly on the nondescript dark varnished door, exactly like her own. The young blonde who opened it was wrapped in a dressing gown.

"For heaven's sake Ann, we were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago!"

"I'm sorry Delia," Ann frowned, stepping aside to admit her friend and closing the door. "I just…oh Delia I don't know what to wear!"

The brunette glanced past her to the heap of clothes on the bed and sighed. "I don't know what you're so worried about." She started rummaging in earnest. "The woman's already smitten with you."

"You don't understand," Ann whined, pulling the dressing gown tighter as she paced. "I've been wanting this for years, but I had no idea what it was I wanted until I found out about you and Patsy! What if she thinks it's too much trouble because I'm new to all this?! Or she might…"

"Hey hey hey!" Delia grasped Ann by the shoulders. "I understand completely. Don't overthink this. Anne's got a lot of bluster on her, but once you get passed that she's just like everyone else. She wants someone to love, and I've seen the way she looks at you. So lets just all have some fun tonight. All right?"

Ann took a deep breath and nodded.

Delia smiled at the girls blatant nerves. She returned to the bed and picked up a dress; a pink and grey chequered sheath, slightly longer than her own and gently shaped at the waist. "This one I think," she said, holding it up against her friend. "Yes definitely. Pop it on and I'll help you with your hair."

"A shed?!" Anne stared at Patsy indignantly. "It was a moss house!"

Patsy was desperately fighting a smirk. Sometimes it was too easy to get a rise out of the older woman. "It was a heap of sticks lashed to a tree! The nuns thought a tramp had gotten onto school grounds and set up camp."

Lister sniffed. "Didn't hear you complaining at the time," she muttered.

"I was 15!" The redhead protested. "I was rather swept up by the apparent romance of it all! You shouldn't have been leading me astray."

"I did not lead you astray!"

"You're two years older than me!"

Two glasses slammed down on the bar behind them. "Will you two give a rest!" Gina huffed. "You're like an old married couple."

"Sorry Gina," Patsy mumbled taking one of the glasses. "We'll behave."

"You'd better," snarked the proprietress, gathering their empty glasses and nodding to the stairs. "Your wife just arrived."

Patsy turned to the entrance and felt her heart stutter in her chest. Delia looked absolutely delectable, grinning widely as soon as their eyes met.

"Oh Patience, we are lucky, lucky women," Anne stated beside her.

The redhead blindly grasped for the two small bunches of flowers on the bar, slapping one into Anne's chest. "That we are Freddie. That we are."


End file.
